


Outrunning Karma

by Mysterihoee



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Coworkers - Freeform, M/M, Not fixed yet, Older Man/Younger Man, Quentin is a nice guy, Scientific Stuff, Some tags will make sense later, Tags May Change, Teacher-Student Relationship, What-If, maybe not, maybe smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-07-17 22:16:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19964095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysterihoee/pseuds/Mysterihoee
Summary: What if...What if Mr Beck had no reason to become Mysterio? What if, instead of stealing his life work, Tony introduced him on stage that night, as a brilliant employee, explaining he was ready to fund the students' projects just like he funded Beck's? What if they developped B.A.R.F together, after what Tony helped him to get his dream job, making him a teacher in one of New York most famous University? Allowing him to work on his projects with Stark Industries, and doing what he loved, spreading knowledge?Peter Parker is about to enter university. But before that, he wants to spend the most memorable summer of his life. May being sick and forced to cancel their trip definitely isn't what he expected.So as the cute little nerd he is, whenever he's not swinging between buildings, he spends his days at the Avengers Tower labs.Guess who else does.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo this is an AU, based on a 'little' change, which means Beck never became Mysterio, got to work with Tony, now has a career as a scientific AND a teacher, basically he's living his best life.
> 
> Peter is about to enter Uni so i aged him up to 18, Beck is in his early thirties.
> 
> Yes, I ship them, and if you have a problem with that well, don't read stories about it? Same thing applies if you're homophobic, that's an oh so gay love story bro get out of here
> 
> Tony is a father figure in this and nothing more, just needed to clear that up
> 
> Also, English isn't my first language and it's the first fic I'll make public in another language than mine, please be kind and just report me the errors whenever you see them uwu

Swinging between buildings, fresh air and wind softly brushing his face through the mask, Peter goes as fast as he can - losing himself into the feeling, almost flying amongst the clouds.

Nothing seems real up there.

People, cars, their lives and stories, everything is so small, so distant.

But Peter's problems follow him in the sky, hooked on his mind, and nothing - NOTHING - seems to be able to take them away from him.

Slowing down, he lands at the top of a random building. Two blocks further, he can see the Avengers Tower, proudly standing above New York. A fake smile appeared on his face as he tried not to look worried.

But he was. And he knew he would have to talk about it, he knew it would happen, that Tony would notice. But he just wasn't able to do it now, the pain and the overwhelming reality of the situation too much to share it.

May had cancer.

The words danced again and again in his mind, like a desperate prayer for it to be a dream, for him to wake up, to smell the sweet scent of her coffee filling the apartment... But here he was, standing on the edge of a 60-storey building, small tears rolling down his face and falling, falling until they crashed on the street so far away.

He breathes, slowly, in and out, watching the world going on even though his own just dissolved.

May has cancer.

He sits down, holding his mask tightly in his shaking hands. It's not real. It can't be real. He just can't accept it it's-

'Peter, would you like me to start the Breathing protocol?' Karen's voie startles him, and he probably would have fallen if it wasn't for his spider stickiness. The voice hoarse, he painfully answers the AI something along the lines of 'yes please' ; he slowly loses himself into the breathing rythm imposed by Karen. Letting his back rest, laying on the roof, taking long and deep breaths.

He doesn't know how long he stayed like this, but when he wakes up, the sun is already hidden by the highest buildings. Putting the mask back on and throwing a web across the street, he heads for the Tower - one of the Penthouse windows is open, and he swings in naturally. The living room is empty.

'Mr Stark? U in there?'

'At the bar Spider-Boy, come , there's someone I'd like to introduce you to', the billionaire shouts back. Frowning at the Spider-Boy, he understands that the stranger doesn't know his identity, and keeps the mask on.

'I thought I told you to _stop_ using the windows to come in?'

'Well you could just stop keeping them open'

'Point taken. Anyway, Spidey, this is Mr Beck. Remember this B.A.R.F project I told you about a few months ago? Quentin here is it's heart & soul.'

Hearing this, Peter's mind lights up, and it takes almost all of his willpower to stop himself from rambling about how cool the project was, and how the way they thought about using difracted rays and with different wavelenghts but still succeding in having a perceptible and neat image because of the different ways these lights were received by the human eye was sooooo cool and innovative, but weren't they afraid that it could not be working on people who had vision troubles or wearing glasses? He vaguely talked about it with Mr Stark the other day but he had to left and it would be so cool to discuss this with the creator and...

Ah. Well at least he's rambling in his head. Spider-Man he's a hero, he's cool and all he isn't supposed to be this.... _nerdy_ , Peter is!

Bringing his focus back on the discussion, his eyes drift towards Beck - the man was way younger than Peter thought he'd be. Probably around 30, something like that.

'... and we thought that beside the therapeutic pursuits and immersive cinema, we could use it to train heroes or agents to effectively react to huge or strange threats they're not used to deal with.' Tony's sentence ended with a clearly nterrogative tone, but it took Peter a few seconds to realise that the question was directed to him.

'Oh, hm, it's uuuh, it's a great idea! I mean, we should train as much as possible, and it would be a pretty cool experience I guess?'

'Right? Mr Beck will spend most of the summer at the Tower working on this, we may ask you to do some test drives if that's okay with you?'

'Y-yeah yeah totally'

'Great! You had something to tell me?'

'I, uh, kinda? But...' He turns his head toward Beck - the man immediately understand, and speaks for the first time.

'It's fine, I was about to leave, I don't want to be involved in too much super hero stuff', he let out jokingly. Downing what was left of his red wine, he puts the empty glass on the bar and takes a few steps forwards, shaking Tony's hands, then Peter's.

'It was great meeting you in person, Spider-Man. Keep up the good work!', he said, eyes fixed on the mask, and Peter shivered, feeling like he could see right through it. Through him. The handshake was strong, assured, and the man had this kind of particular aura that makes you want to trust him.

Charism.

Peter was frozen, and in this small moment even the thought of his aunt had left him.

'I'll see you tomorrow, Mr Stark!', Quentin claimed on his way to the elevator. He disappeared inside, and only then did the boy come back to his reality, FRIDAY's voice a strange echo inside his head.


	2. Chapter 2

At the exact moment the elevator door closed, Peter felt the whole world rushing back towards him. His aunt situation, especially. He should tell Mr Stark about it, he knew, but he was so afraid. As long as he could remembered, the boy had always looked up to his mentor-now-almost-father-figure. Tony Stark was confident, powerful, brilliant, and always so _happy_. Smiling, sassy, always a smart comment ready. And of course him & Peter bonded over the years, they had interesting talks, discussions that lasted hours. But it was about science, films, food, heroes, missions... They rarely had personal conversations.

The only one Peter remembered happened, what, 8 months ago?

It was a Friday night - a movie night. Ned wasn't here, his presence hadn't already became a habit. It was just him, Tony, and a bunch of chinese dishes on the coffee table, watching Fight Club. They were so relaxed, no huge threat or mission going on, nothing but small criminals since a few weeks, Christmas Holidays were getting closer... They were just happy, enjoying. And, he swears he will always remember this moment, Peter heard Tony mumbling something. It was so low, that without his powers he probably never would have heard it.

But he did.

'God, I forgot Brad Pitt was so attractive'

And Peter was genuinely surprised. A surprise that must have appeared quite clearly on his face, or maybe it was his little gasp that gave him away, because Tony immediatly turned his head towards the boy.

'You heard that didn't you?'

A small nod. Tony sighs, reach for the remote, and pauses the film.

'So, kid. I guess it's time for us to have this discussion?'

Peter stays silent, not knowing what to say.

'I'm bi. Bisexual I mean. I like girls, I like boys. Voilà.'

_Well, maybe that was maybe a lil bit too blunt_ , he says to himself, and adds:

'I know that might surprise you. Because, well, that's not really something I talk about a lot, and with the whole playboy thing, and, and me dating Pepper you probably never thought that I-'

'It's okay Mr Stark', Peter said, smiling.

'Yeah?'

'Yeah.' he stayed silent for a few seconds. 'I- I don't really know about me, honestly. And I feel lost sometimes, and I overthink it. I'm not really into the whole "label" thing, I guess.'

'You see kid, you're still growing up, you have aaaaall the time you want to figure this out. And, it's not always fixed. Just because you choose a label doesn't mean you're stuck with it till the end of the world. Taste changes. It took me a while to really, y'know, understand this part of me. Especially because, I had nobody to talk about it. So, if you ever need or just want to, I- I'm here, okay?'

The boy's smile grew even wider hearing this

'Okay. And uuh, I'd never judge you for that, y'know? Especially not about Brad Pitt.'

The memory slowly dissolves as Peter's mind comes back to reality - Tony is standing in front of him, pouring himself another glass of wine, and putting the bottle back on the shelf.

'So, you wanted to talk to me about something kiddo?'

Peter freezes - he wants, he really wants to tell him about May. But he knows that if he does, he'll break. And he can't just have a breakdown and cry in front of Tony Stark now, can he?

'I uh, I stopped a couple of criminals this morning in Brooklyn?'

'Hmhm'

'And they, they had those weird tattoos? Exactly the same, even if I didn't caugth them in the same place'

'So, they are either fashion victims or two bros with matching tattoos, what's the problem?'

'I dunno they just... the tattoos were strange. Like, enough for me to notice them, they gave this strange feeling of-'

'Being watched?' joked Tony

'Exactly.'

A little more serious now, the billionaire added :

'Okay, I'll have someone looking into it. D'you think you could, draw it or something?' Peter nodded. 'Great, you'll do that tomorrow okay? What d'you wanna eat?'

They went for pizza (withOUT pineapple), and, as it was a Friday, settled on watching Hellboy.The film was great, but Peter just couldn't focus on the story. He just kept worrying about his aunt, what would happen to her, had the tumor been diagnosed soon enough, would she have to live at the hospital? What would happen to him? Will she choose to take some medication? God, knowing her, she wouldn't. How would they even afford the treatments? Maybe, maybe he could ask Mr Stark, but he already wasn't able to tell him about the problem, let alone asking him to _pay_ for a _possible_ solution - because, even if they SOMEHOW found a way for May to have a therapy, it might not work... Was he supposed to do some research, find what kind of medical _THINGS_ was most likely to cure her? What if the best solution had to make her suffer? So many questions, and so little answers. He pictured her on an hospital bed, so pale and her beautiful hair gone, just like he heard it happens with chemotherapy, and shivered. When the film ended, credits running on the screen, he didn't even notice. All he could do was watching absentmindedly the TV, lost in his own head.

'Kid? Are you alright?'

'Hm? Yeah, yes. No. I mean..."

Hiding his face in his hands for a moment, he stays silent. Raising his head, his small & hoarse voice almost entirely covered by the film's music, he manages to say a few words

"It-It's my aunt. She's...' god, no, he really can't do it. He's on the edge of tears when Tony's voice breaks the silence.

'I know.'

'Y-you do?'

'She called me. She was worried about you. So let me tell you, a little tumor isn't going to bring May freaking Parker down, okay? I almost had to _threaten_ her so she'd let me pay for every medical bill. I personally contacted the best doctors & oncologists in the world. It's gonna be okay'

Relief started flooding Peter's mind & body as the man talked, and the stress suddenly chased by those news left the boy sobbing. Quietly, Tony pulled him into a hug, soothing him until his tears dried up & hands stopped shaking. Once he was sure the kid was feeling better, Tony let go.

'You should probably go to sleep now kid, okay?'

Peter nodded, standing up and, on the way to his bedroom, let out a small 'thanks dad' that warmed Tony's heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooof I tried to describe Tony & Peter father & son relationship I hope it's okay or at least just a lil bit credible? If it's not I reject all accusations I never had a Dad how could I know sdversvf
> 
> ANYWAY I hope you enjoy this so far, sorry again if I make mistakes English isn't my first language uwu 
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and the nice comments <3
> 
> Also, I know my chapters may be smaller than what you're all used to I hope it's not bothering you?


	3. Chapter 3

Peter Parker is one of those people who need time waking up - time to remember where he is, what happened lately. So when he wakes up this morning, his clock proudly displaying "9:52 am", he freaks out.

He jumps on his feet - wow, too fast - and the world is spinning for a split of seconds. He throws on the first clothes he finds, almost falling doing so, and scans the room for his backpack - that's when the thought strikes him.

It's the _holidays_.

Slapping himself mentally, he falls back on his bed.

'Smooth way to start the day, Parker', he whispers. Eyes fixed on the ceiling, he thinks about going back to sleep, but now that he's dressed... He stands up - slowly this time -, and heads for the kitchen. Making his way to the fridge, he's stopped by the sweet smell of hot pancakes and a well-know voice

'Morning маленький паук'

'Nat! What are you doing here? I thought your mission was like, what, 2 months long?' he says, happy and surprised

'Russian spies aren't what they used to be. We got a guy to fill us in about the base, spares a lot of reconnaissance missions'

Peter's gaze falls down to the pancakes left on the bar - the form, the smell...

'Are those...'

'Buck's pancakes, yup. He had something to do with Steve and Sam but they said hello'

A huge smile on his face, the boy sits down, grabbing orange juice and maple syrup. A few pancakes later, and after politely refusing a new training session with the redhead - no, seriously, _don't train with Natasha_ , that's called taking care of your bones -, he heads for his personal lab. He's got to get a refill of web-fluid, almost ran out yesterday, and - yesterday. He swallows, the thought of his aunt back in mind.

_Fuck._

This really had to happen now uh? This was supposed to be the best summer of his life, no stress from university, highschool ended, and this travel! They probably won't be able to make it now. May would have to meet so many people and pass tests and such... There just was _no way_ for their month abroad to happen. The boy sighs - he really looked forward to that trip to Italia, but May's health was more important. A part of him still hopes that it is all a dream, and this part just wants to _run._ To pretend it's not real, to forget it - there's no way that this would happen to him, right? He already lost his parents, Ben, May just couldn't be sick. He can't lose her. Could he sue the universe for harassment? Of course, he tries to be optimistic, people survive cancer, it's just a small tumor, they can get it out befo-

His thoughts are stopped by a noise. A metallic one, coming from the vents, just behind him - he turns back, to see Clint landing from the ceiling, smiling at him.

'Clint! Hey! Uuuh, weren't you supposed to stop using the vents?'

'Stop wasting saliva kid, some bastard broke my hearing aids. How you doing?'

Rapidly forming words with his hands, Peter answers, and offers to repare the device.

'That'd be awesome!', the archer said, handing it to him. Peter quickly signs, " **bet you lost your spare pair again** " - Clint looks slightly embarrassed, but smiles nonetheless.

'I'll drop in your lab this afternoon to get them, thank you so much! Have you seen Nat? It's been a while since the last time I pranked her', he says, lowering his voice on the last words. Peter hesitates an instant - he doesn't want to be involved in a prank war _AGAIN_ -, but ends up giving the info anyway. Waving the boy, the Avenger then disappears into the vents again.

Peter has been in his lab for a few hours now - Clint's hearing aids are already repared, waiting for him at the end of the desk. He's working on a prototype, an hoverboard - an actual one, floating and all, not the weird ones you find at Target - but somehow, he can't manage to make some sensors work. He checked the wires, the code, everything, but no, they're just doing the _opposite_ of what they're supposed to do.

And man, these kind of things drives him crazy.

He's reading the instruction manual for the 10th time - at least - when FRIDAY’s voice interrupts him.

'Peter, you should probably take a break.' He sighs, and rubs his eyes. The AI is right. But if there is one thing Tony & Peter shared even before meeting each other, it’s the definition of « break » : work less, but work still. So, instead of running to the penthouse to get a coffee and watch a movie, the kid-who-is-not-really-a-kid-anymore heads for the R&D labs.

He wanders around for a while, giving some advice here and there. Most people are happy to see Peter - he’s (officially) Mr. Stark personal intern, and everyone knows him. But let’s face it, he _clearly_ doesn’t know them, and without Happy’s obsession over badges, he’d be screwed.

Anyway.

He had just finished helping - badge check - Julian with a particularly difficult equation when a loud _**BOOM**_ shook the whole floor, and his mind immediately switched to Spidey-mode as he ran towards the explosion.

No signs of fire, no shouting, good. When he entered the destroyed lab, all he saw was smoke and a very, very disheveled - and very, very handsome - man, staring at him with a confused expression.

'Hey? Is everything alright?'

'It- it _exploded_ '

'Yeah, I think the entire floor noticed that'

The disturbed-disturbingly-good-looking-man doesn’t really know what to say - that’s the expected effect of Spidey’s sense of humor, but as there is no more danger, Peter goes back to his usual self.

'Sorry. Uh, so, what was it exactly that exploded?'

'My entire life’s work?'

Ah, yeah, that does sounds bad.

'Oh.'

Peter Parker, master of communication skills, they call him.

'Well, you can’t have lost all of it, right? You must have plans or blueprints somewhere?'

The man seemed to be slowly getting back to him.

'Y-yeah, sure, but I was getting so close to success and working so hard I, I can’t remember when I made a safe copy for the last time'

'Okay, well you’ll look this up at home while we have this whole mess cleaned, alright Mr...'

'Beck. Quentin Beck', he said, pulling his hair back in place with one hand. The smoke is slowly disappearing, and Peter finally recognizes him from yesterday’s night - no way two different persons in the universe could have the chance to have those eyes. He feels himself drifting away slowly at the eye contact, only brought back by this deep, soft voice, that sounds way to worried for his liking.

'I won’t find anything home, it was either on my computer or on my SI files'

'And I guess your computer is...'

'Everywhere in the room, yeah'

'Okay, you know what? We have to leave so FRIDAY can clean up everything, we can check your files in my lab?'

Beck seems surprised, and looks around for a few seconds before answering.

'Yeah, okay let’s, let’s do that'

He’s clearly still shocked by the explosion as they leave the room - Peter asks the AI to save everything she can from what’s left of Beck’s computer, after what the duo disappears inside the elevator.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm alive.

The second they entered Peter's lab, Quentin couldn't help but _whistle_ \- most of the Tower's floors were modern, and equipped with top-of-the-line technologies, but this? This was a different level, and Beck felt like he had just dived into the future. Holograms and incredible projects were scattered all over the room, 3D blueprints of an amazing quality slowly revolving in the air, and was that? was that Black Widow's bite?

The man suddenly felt the urge to sit down - was it from the explosion or the look of the room, he didn't know, but his whole body was shaking, and he felt... _Strange_. He just had no other word to explain it, and as the kid walked to his own computer, the scientist just crashed into the nearest chair. His vision was still a bit blurry from all the smoke, and looking at his forearms he swore he saw his veins turn green for a second - Peter suddenly called his name, putting a hand on the man's shoulder.

'Mr Beck? Are you alright?'

He sounded actually worried - Quentin shaked his head, before answering

'Yeah, don't worry, it's probably the shock. I'm not that used to explosions, that's all'

'I wish I could say the same... Here, take this and log in, let's see if you have blueprints left on the servers somewhere', Peter says, handing him a keyboard as his screen _floats_ towards the older man - he freezes a second at the movement, impressed, but eventually starts typing.

As his gaze is focused on the screen, he doesn't notice Peter's on him. Elbows resting on his desk, he's cheking out the man – to, to make sure he's okay and that the explosion didn't hurt him too much of course. I mean, it's not like he was completely mesmerized by the way Beck's forearms moved while typing, or the way his eyes jumped up and down the screen every time he opened a new folder, or...

His reverie was interrupted by the man himself – he finally found an old backsave, a set of blueprints he just clicked, and new holograms appeared in the room. Peter turns to the closest one, on his desk, and starts examining it. It's actually great tech, even if the model is quite old, one of the firsts that were made. Beck stands up, feeling better, and walks towards the boy. He starts explaining the changes they made since, and the duo carefully applies the updates one by one. As they already know what has to be improved and, more importantly, how to improve it, months of research are rapidly caught up – apart from a few times when they had to do some calculations again or retrieve formulas, Beck's impressive memory did the job.

When they finally sit down, allowing their minds to rest, the project is almost back to the state it was before the explosion – almost, because Peter made some helpful suggestions. Rubbing his eyes tired of staring at holograms for so long, he asks :

'So, about this explosion, how did it happen ?'

'This is going to sound so stupid'

'You have no idea how many explosions I caused for really, really stupid reasons. You tell yours, I'll tell one of mine.'

Beck seems sceptical for a moment, but Peter's pleading look won.

'Okay, okay, no need to go puppy looking on me'- he takes a long sip of coffee, enjoying the room's silence and Peter's impatience. 'So, you see those « little chemist kits » ? I never had one. I'm an engineer, a bit of a physicist, but chemistry ? Not my thing.'

'And ? What does this have to do with the explosion ?'

'Ever seen an actor build a rocket ?' Peter shook his head 'It explodes. I just CAN'T mix two things without them exploding, I don't even know why I tried.'

The younger one tries not to laugh at the man's discouraged face – tries , that's the key word.

'And – and what were you trying to do exactly ?'

Beck's smile turns serious as he starts talking about the project.

'I was just wondering if it was possible to use smell to enhance BARF. I just added different perfumes and a diffusor, but I guess they mixed up when I launched the new program and, well, boom.'

'Yeah, boom.'

They stay silent for a moment – outside, the sun slowly disappears behind the city's buildings, and the changing light projects strange shadows all over the room. It's getting late. Beck stands up, pulling his hair back swiftly.

'Thank you so much for helping me.'

Peter answers with a smile

'Well, I could hardly leave you alone after such an explosion. Besides, I know how it feels like to see weeks worth of work just disappear. I-I'm glad we were able to rebuild your project so quickly, Mr Beck.'

The man smiles back - 'You can call me Quentin kid. I'll head home now, see you around !', he adds, shaking Peter's hand before heading for the elevator... And stopping dead in his tracks.

'Also, you had great ideas today. I know you're Stark's personnal intern or something, but if you feel like working on BARF, my door will be open. Well, once it's built back at least.'

The younger's smiles grows even wider – 'It'd be an honor Mr- Quentin, but you have to promise me you'll do something about this name ! BARF, seriously ?'

He laughs at that – 'Well, find a new one !' he says, winking, and the elevator's doors closed.

As the floors' numbers pass inside the lift cage, Quentin realizes Peter didn't tell him about his stupid explosion causes. Guess that'll have to wait til the next time they'll work together, he thinks. Burying his face in his hands for a moment, the man finally takes the time to proceed everything that happened today. Caught up in the rush of the explosion, then in the work, he had little time to freak out about losing his work – this problem was solved now – and almost losing his life. He suddenly feels so tired.

What a shitty day.

The ride home luckily feels way quicker than usual. Opening his apartment's door, Quentin is tempted to just crash into the bedroom and sleep – instead, he microwaves some leftovers, then makes a single cup of tea. He just can't go to bed with a mind crippled by chaotic thoughts. He just sits down, and meditate for a while.

When he finally allows himself to fall asleep, the only idea he was not able to calm down comes back to him. He drifts off into sleep with a smile on his lips, Peter's on his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small chapter I'm back, sorry for the delay! I needed time to plot and time for myself, figuring out some things and being anxious about studies but I promise, I'll do my best to write as fast as possible for you uwu


	5. Chapter 5

When Quentin walks into his lab the next day, it almost feels like the explosion never happened.The furniture is back, and so is the equipment. He walks around for a while, running fingers on every surface.

Maybe it was a dream after all.

Turning on his computer, he's about to open blueprints when a few knocks on the door draw his attention.

'Come in !', he shouts, and hears the door opening, small footsteps following.

'Hey'

Beck raises his head, and his gaze is met once again by those huge, ever so stressed and excited doe eyes.

'Hey, Peter, wasn't expecting you to show up so soon', he says with a grin. The boy blushes softly at that – a small blush, but it's enough for the older man to notice it.

'Well, Mr Stark is out of town for a few days, and I need a break from my own projects, so I figured that I could, uh, y'know. Assist you instead.', he says, putting a cup of coffee on the table.

Beck doesn't answer, and Peter quickly adds : 'But if you, if you don't want me around I'll...'

'Of course I want you around. You're probably one of the smartest person in this Tower. I just- I don't need an _assistant_. You're not here to hand me tools or bring me coffee, you're here 'cause you have _ideas._ Good ones.'

The boy blushes slightly harder at that – he's not used to being praised, and it always feels strange when adults, especially scientists, start complimenting his intellect. Of course, there is the whole Spider-Man situation, and people calling him a hero – god, he even has _fans_ now. But it's different. It feels good, to be appreciated as Peter Parker.

'T-thank you.'

They both stay silent for a moment, Beck fiddling with the newly appeared hologram before thanking the boy for the cup anyway. He takes a sip - pure black, exactly what he took yesterday. Realizing Peter remembered that detail makes his heart flutter in a way it hadn't in years - but he has no time to care about that, as the younger one speaks again.

'So, uh, about BARF, I had this idea tonight...'

The conversation goes on, and on, and on. When Beck's team enters the experiment labs next to theirs, they find the two of them excitingly speaking, eyeing some kind of strange, loud machine, buzzing from time to time, a weird smell surrounding the place. They keep working on their own the whole day, and when a team member almost loses an ear approaching said machine, the duo is left alone – they barely notice it anyway. Minds wrapped around the project and each other ideas, the day passes in a flash.

And so did the next ones.

Peter and Beck had been working together for 8 days, when the first _incident_ happened.

It was on an early afternoon – the two of them were in the lab since the morning and, as the Healthy Scientists TM they were, had had nothing but coffee. Peter was holding in his hands what was probably his 6th cup. Eyes fixed on their latest experiment, a new version of the Smell Encensor, he didn't notice Quentin walking from the desk to his side.

'So, is it working ?'

The boy _jumped_ at these words – way higher than he should have been capable of, but Quentin was too distracted by the burning coffee on his shirt to notice.

'Oh my god _oh my god OH MY GOD_ I-I'm SORRY Quentin I-' he trailed off, but had no time to finish his sentence as the older man was already taking off his clothes and-

Oh. Oh wow.

Peter's eyes travelled up and down his coworker's body, his mind turned a mess. Broad shoulders, sharp abs, puffy chest, it was even better than anything Peter had imagined. Not that he had imagined what Beck would look like, of course. I mean, it's not like Peter was into guys, right ? Actually, he _might_ be, he didn't know, but, well, into Quentin ? Okay, the man was handsome, funny, way too good looking to be real, really nice, brilliant, but...

Oh god.

_I have a thing for Quentin fucking Beck._

Was it from the realisation or the fact that the other was still shirtless in front of him, Peter didn't know, but he blushed so hard his skin was hurting.

'I, uh, I'll get you a-a towel, be right back', he sputtered, running out of the lab. Quentin smiled at his sheepishness. The kid was so awkward sometimes, it was cute. Well, not that he looked at Peter as something else than a coworker, of course. I mean, the boy was endearing, caring, a litteral ray of sunshine, absolutely brilliant, but...

Oh god.

_I-_

'Here, towel', blurted Peter storming back inside, cheeks still red. Quentin took it gladly, turning his shoulders to the younger one while wiping the coffee off his body and his thoughts off his mind. Strangely enough, the almost boiling liquid didn't hurt, and he had no sign of scald burns. Putting on a lab coat, he then quickly went back to work ; the rest of the day was quite uneventful, apart from Peter apologising again and again for the accident... And discretly staring at Quentin even more than usual.

He tried to focus on his work, really. But the idea of Beck, right beside him, wearing nothing on his shoulders but a lab coat way too tight for his stature was... Distracting. His eyes got lost a few times in the movements of the man's back muscles. Later that afternoon, when Quentin gave up and unbuttoned a bit the piece of clothe, Peter almost passed out. He had to fight himself to keep the control of his eyes whenever Beck started talking to him and, even when he was on the other side of the lab, the boy's enhanced earing kept his mind a mess – the sweet sound of the golden chain clicking around the older's neck, his perfectly stable breathing...

God, did Peter wish he was able to affect this apparent calmness.

When Quentin finally left the lab this evening, squeezing the kid's shoulder on the way, said kid immediatly ran to the penthouse - he collapsed on the couch at the exact moment the scientist exited the building.

'Everything okay kid ?', said Steve's voice behind him. Silence stood a few second, shattered by the spider's voice.

'Yeah, yeah, just...', he waved off

'Rough day ?'

'Exactly.'

He needed a break.

He needed space.

He needed air.

Without any other word, he left for his room, suited up, and disappeared in New York's sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy, I hope you enjoy the story so far :) I just wanted to let you know that I finally have the whole story plotted, and now that I know where I am going with this, I will hopefully be a little bit more productive in terms of chapters - but no promises, I know my lazy self ^^'


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another small chapter, because I'm tired of May being paid dust in some fictions, that's great maternal figure material here.

Peter was on a rooftop – yes, again. It's calm up there, distant, and he can breathe. He's alone. Well, not that he isn't in his everyday life, but at least he's not _crowded._ Working in a huge companie is all fun and games, until you have to spend your days surrounded by noisy people. If you already think this is unpleasant, imagine having to face it with enhanced senses. He grew used to it, but still has recurrent sensory overloads – when everything becomes too bright. Too loud. Too much. For him, just going through a crowd without sunglasses and earbuds is painful.

That's why he loves his lab, and spends most of his time inside it.

Well, used to anyway.

He groans, the thought of Beck making its way back in his mind. A few days passed since the « coffee incident », and Peter still hates himself for it. Before, lying to himself was easy – well, not lying, more like avoiding the truth. But ever since, his stupid... _crush_ was making itself less and less ignorable.

The kid was... Parted. It had been so long since the last time he ever felt that way ! Some part of him wanted to take its chance. Ask him out. Try. But another part knew it wasn't a good idea. Hell, for what he knew, the man had a girlfriend ! Or was straight ! Or just not interested ! There were too many ways for this to turn badly. Especially since they were coworkers. And Peter still 17.

Quentin is the only good thing that happened to him in months. He just can't risk it.

But no matter what he told himself, how stupid it was to hope for anything to happen, he just couldn't chase those freaking butterflies away.

Peter sigh – he has no time for this. Okay, maybe he does, but he shouldn't. Shaking his shoulders and head, he puts his mask back on and starts swinging towards Manhattan. Thanks to Tony, May had been accepted in one of the most advanced cancer center in the country - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center or something like that. She has to spend a few days there, take tests and such. Then... Peter doesn't know. Maybe the doctors will be able to make an operation and it'll be over, just like that ? It would be so simple. So relieving. So unlikely.

Unlikely, yeah. But Peter hopes. He always does. As long as there is hope there is life, uh ? So when he lands a few blocks away from the center, taking off his suit before running to see May, his head is full of optimism and dreams. If she recovers fast, maybe they'll be able to make this trip to Italy, just like they planned years ago ?

The sweet smell of homemade arrabiata sauce was filling their small apartment on that day. Peter had just started highschool, and was rambling eagerly about how happy he was to be in Ned's class, and how cool the school's scientific equipment was, and oooh there were so many cool clubs too ! He had no idea which one to join, maybe he would be able to try a few before making up his mind ? May smiled during the whole rant, but interrupted it placing the pastas and sauce on the table – the kid's stomach growled as the smell grew stronger. He helped himself, and was about to jump on the food when his aunt stopped him

'Tsss tss tss, not without pecorino !'

'Oh come on, you can't cook something that delicious and ask me to wait', he answered with a smile as May passed him the cheese. They were used to eating regular cheese, the cheap one from the closest supermarket, but a distant cousin on a business trip had brought them some Italian goods a few days ago.

'Of course I can. Italian cheese changes everything, and you _have_ to try it out !'

Peter chuckled a little at that, finally taking a bite and...

'Okay, I take it back. This so good !'

'Told you !' beamed May, 'and this is not even the best kind, but the only one that can survive the trip to New York.'

'D'you think... D'you think that one day, we could, I dunno, go try that in Italy ?' - Peter asked the question sheepishly, and his aunt smile grew even wider.

'You would like that ?'

He nodded. 'Well, I was thinking about taking you on a trip once you finish highschool, sooo...'

The boy's face lit up immediatly, but May wasn't finished talking

'Hey, don't rejoice too quickly okay ? We still have to save some money before, but that leaves you three years to see what you want to do over there. Now eat ! Cheese can't make up for cold pastas.'

The memory and his aunt's smile fade away softly – he's standing right before the Center. Peter takes a deep breathe, gathering determination and even more optimism. Everything is gonna be alright, he tells himself as he enters the tall building. Heading for the reception desk, he shyly asks 'May Parker please' - the receptionist is nice, smiling, and sends him to the 64th floor. Something with well-known doctors and having desks on the upper floors...

He enters one of the three elevators, empty. As he makes his way up the building, people travel in and out multiple times. Doctors, nurses, but also a few patients - he tries not to stare, he doesn't want to be impolite or disrespectful, but he just can't stop himself. Bald heads, hospital clothing, trolleys and IV bags - the model is the same, always, and anxiety starts eating the boy's optimism. Will May end up like that too? He doesn't want to see her sick.

He can't lose her.

When the elevator finally displays "64", he barely has the time to take in his surroundings before his aunt jumps on him - he's surprised, but quickly hugs her back. They stay silent for a few minutes, standing. When he pulls back, her eyes are watery, and no matter how hard she must be trying to hide it, he can see that she's as scared as he is. He swallows, smiling weakly, and squeezes her hand. He doesn't trust his voice right now, but the message is clear - I'm here with you, it's gonna be okay. They stay still for a few more secondes - May then heads back to her chair in the waiting room, and they wait here, side by side.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, Peter stayed in his lab. And the one after that too. He was a mess, a raging mix of anxiety, feelings and coffee running through his veins. Drowning himself in work to get away from his problems - he hadn’t slept in more than 48 hours, spending his nights being Spider-Man.

Not being Peter Parker.

Sitting near his desk, elbows resting on it, he was holding his head between his hands - he couldn’t help eyeing the couch on the other side of the room, no matter how hard he was trying to focus on the blueprints in front of him. Keeping his eyes open was getting harder and harder - he was slowly falling asleep on his chair, when a couple of loud knocks on the door startled him. He jumped - and practically fell - at the sound : it was like, 8 p.m., the Tower was almost empty and Tony still away... 

Who could it be? He wondered, walking towards the door. Mind still foggy and asleep, he didn’t even think of asking Friday, and opened the door on a... green shirt?

Lifting his gaze up, he finally recognized Beck’s features - and froze at the sight of his smile. Said smile was quickly replaced by a worried expression as Quentin took in the younger’s appearance - messy hair, wrinkled shirt, the boy was literally bathing in the bitter smell of coffee. His shirt’s buttons were messily paired, allowing the older’s eyes to explore the exposed chest and was, was that  blood  on his shoulder?

Peter looked a mess, and if Quentin felt guilty for that, he just couldn’t help but find it strangely attractive.

Unaware of Beck’s observation session - he was too focused on his handsome face to notice -, the boy finally broke the silence.

'Hey, uh, w-what are you doing here?'

Beck answered while entering the room, not even bothering to ask permission now.

'You didn’t show up in my lab with a crazy idea in two days, I was getting worried.'

_ And I missed you _ , he added for himself.

'There is no reason to worry at all, I just got... caught in my own project'

And there goes Beck’s eyebrow, straight into the stratosphere.

'You’re a terrible liar, you know that?'

If Peter had the energy, he probably would have blushed - right know, he barely shrugged, shutting the door behind him.

The room was silent for a moment - just like the boy, it was disorganized. Quentin spotted a few broken pieces and tools on the floor, and some more blood on it. This constatation brought his eyes back to the kid’s shoulder.

'What happened to you?', he asked, worry clear in his deep voice.

'N-nothing, justaa, uh, y’know, an experiment went wrong'

Absolutely not convinced, Beck approached him - gently, carefully placing his hand on the boy’s upper biceps.

'Can I see?'

Peter gulped - hardly, because his mouth went dry the second they made contact. He suddenly felt very awake, body like fire, loosing his mind a little bit more every second. How he managed to get out a small 'Y-yeah' was a mystery even for him.

Beck’s other hand made its way towards the poorly fastened buttons. Undid one. Then another. Peter was captivated - the way he did that, so naturally, was he that used to undressing people?

For a second, the boy’s mind drifted to the other areas Beck where Beck must have experience, drifted to how bad he just wanted to kiss him, how bad he wanted to be pushed against that desk and-

He definitely needed sleep.

Quentin had just reached the last button, and started taking off the shirt - on the younger’s shoulder, the fabric was drenched in blood that stuck on the skin, and he proceeded really carefully. The man's eyes ran over the now fully exposed chest, pleasantly surprised by the well-defined muscles. Some bold part of Quentin just wanted to explore every patch of skin, each centimeter, again and again, learn those curves and never let go - hopefully, he would have the chance to do this in a few years. But now wasn't the time, and he regretfully brought his attention back to the wounded shoulder. The cut wasn't that deep, nor long, but the blood loss significant enough to risk an infection.  


'You should have covered this. You're lucky that it doesn't seem infected', he said. Peter grumbled under his breath, something along the lines of 'you don't have to do this', and if Beck heard, he decided to completely ignore it.

'There should be an emergency kit somewhere in the lab, can you tell me where?'

'P-probably under my desk'

Beck then let go of Peter, heading for said kit, and the boy had to refrain himself from whining at the loss of contact. Was it from the emotional turmoil he'd been caught up in for days or the blood loss, he didn't know, but he suddenly felt so weak.  


'Got it! Okay, there's no way I'm stitching you up if you're standing, I need you to sit.'

Just wanting to get this over with, the kid immediately started to walk towards the couch - wrong choice, he realised two steps later, as the world started spinning. Maybe, yeah, maybe he should just rest now, he thought, slowly sitting on the cold floor. He was about to lay down, eyes half-closed, when he felt two huge hands around him - the ground suddenly disappeared below him, replaced by the intoxicating heat of a human body and a manly scent.

Yeah, that was definitely more comfortable than the floor.

Peter leaned into the touch, burying his nose in the man's chest. The strong arms carried him bridal style all the way to the couch. A few seconds later, he was sitting on Quentin's lap - one hand behind the boy's back to secure him, the scientist used the other to open the emergency kit. As he was trying to open the unused compress bag, he quickly realised that he would need both his arms, cursing a bit internally. He moved Peter's body again, so that he would still be on his lap but facing the scientist with his back. The ease with which he did that, the way the boy's body seemed made to obey his was definitely a turn on, and Quentin pushed him further on his lap, farther from his embarassingly growing bulge. 

Guess this confirmed he really had a thing for Peter.

Guilt overwhelmed him for a second - guilt and worry. He never really cared about age gap before - people did what they wanted and liked whoever they liked, it was none of his business. But the more he thought about it, the more he felt like there was something wrong with him. Why, why on earth was that happening? Every feeling, every emotion was so similar yet so different from his previous crushes or relationships. Was it just the boy's effect on him? Was it the thrill of forbidden, both by the law and SI policy? Cursing under his breath, he hoped for Peter to be unable to notice how flustered he was as his hands went back to the kit. He quickly grabbed a compress and disinfectant, cleaning the wound - strangely enough, it already appeared smaller than a few minutes ago. The bleeding was minimal now, and Quentin decided that banding should be enough. He applied a clean compress, hands and movements still careful. When he was finally done, he patted Peter's back - not strong enough to hurt him, but stronger than he'd been touching him since the door opened. The kid jumped a bit, drawn from his half-asleep foggy state, and stood up - way too quickly, like he always does, and his vision turned blurry again.  


'Wow, slow down there!', Beck exclaimed while standing up, his hands reaching and gripping the younger's hips to steady him.

This time, Peter blushed. His face got even redder when he realized his fingers were clenched around the scientist's biceps - well, half of said biceps actually, as his hands were too small to completely surround Beck's arms. His heart was beating so loudly, blood flowing so fast, head feeling so, so light... For a second, he swore he could fly. For a second, his eyes locked onto the other's lips. For a second, he escaped reality, dwelling his very soul in the sweet warmth of Quentin's hands, mind walking new and unscathed paths. His breathing grew steadier as he lost himself in the moment. As space lost all meaning, and time became nothing but a blurry notion, hypothetical seconds widespread all along eternity.  


For a second, he felt complete.


End file.
